No magic as ex-Sox OF Ross foils Red Sox

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Cody Ross heads to the dugout after scoring a run during the fifth inning of Friday's game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. (Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

BOSTON — Cody Ross went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs in his return to Boston as the Arizona Diamondbacks held off the Red Sox 7-6 on Friday night.

Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer for the Diamondbacks, who tagged Boston pitchers for 16 hits.

Randall Delgado (4-3) rode the offensive surge to his fourth straight win and Brad Ziegler picked up his sixth save despite allowing singles to Stephen Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury in the bottom of the ninth. Ziegler made a nice barehanded play on a grounder by Dustin Pedroia and threw to first for the final out.

Drew and David Ortiz hit two-run homers for Boston, which remained one game up on Tampa Bay for first place in the American League East after San Francisco's 4-1 win over the Rays on Friday night.

Ross started in left for Arizona and received mostly cheers in his first at-bat in Boston since he played for the Red Sox last year. He was 3-for-3 with two doubles before his solo homer in the seventh off Pedro Beato (1-1) barely cleared the Green Monster in left field.

Umpires reviewed it briefly before agreeing a fan did not interfere and the run stood. It turned out to be the winning hit.

Ross had 22 home runs and 81 RBIs in 2012 for Boston and signed with the Diamondbacks as a free agent in December. He said before the game that he felt "jaded" that the Red Sox passed on him before signing free agents Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli.

While Ross said he had put it behind him, he played like he still held a bit of a grudge.

Delgado started to tire in the sixth. One batter after Jarrod Saltalamacchia came just a yard or two short of a homer to right center, Drew hit one out to almost the same location for a two-run shot that tied it at 6. It was the fourth earned run off Delgado, who had not allowed more than three earned runs in his first eight starts.

Drew's homer also saved Boston starter Jon Lester from a possible loss after he allowed a season-high 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Arizona scored six runs off Lester before he left in the top of the fifth after Martin Prado and Ross hit back-to-back RBI doubles as the Diamond backs scored three times for a 6-5 lead.

Arizona jumped on Lester with two runs in the first inning on Goldschmidt's 25th homer of the season. It was one of three extra-base hits in the inning for the Diamondbacks, who also got doubles by Aaron Hill and Ross.

The Red Sox got the runs right back in the bottom of the first when Ellsbury led off with a triple and scored on Ortiz's two-run homer to center. Ortiz's 21st homer of the season ended Delgado's 15 1/3-inning scoreless streak.

Boston added two unearned runs in the second after a throwing error by shortstop Didi Gregorius.

NOTES: Trade-deadline acquisition Jake Peavy (8-4 with the Chicago White Sox) is scheduled to make his debut for Boston on Saturday against Arizona's Patrick Corbin (12-2) when the three-game series resumes. ... Ellsbury's leadoff triple in the first raised his average in interleague play to .500 (20-for-40). Ellsbury has hit safely in all 10 of Boston's interleague games this season. ... Ortiz was in a 3-for-14 slump before driving the first pitch he saw out of the park. ... The Diamondbacks opened the three-game series with a 4-5 record in interleague games this season.

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